Artist:Wavves
Album:Afraid of Heights
Label:Mom + Pop
Release Date:March 26
Grade:B-
The idea that someone out there is still writing surf rock is absurd, but San Diego punk rock band Wavves actually does a pretty good job at it on Afraid of Heights.
Wavves has been around since 2008 and has released a bunch of LPs and 7" records before its self-titled debut album gained moderate attention that only grew with its next three albums.
Members certainly crafted a comfortable niche for themselves in modern punk/pop rock, and their sound can be simplified as a crash between The Beach Boys, New York Dolls and pre-American Idiot Green Day, which is definitely a good thing. Afraid of Heights really takes the Green Day influence and runs with it.
The album's first track, "Sail to the Sun," starts off with a 40-second, totally out of place - albeit interesting - reverb triangle composition. The song immediately breaks off into a fast-paced punk rock tune with a simple thumping bass riff, whiney '90s punk vocals and a pumped-up clean guitar. You can almost envision a dirty basement show, complete with plaid shirts and Converse kicks.
"Afraid of Heights," the sixth track on the album, is surprisingly catchy and features some cool guitar effects and additional vocals from indie band Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis. The lyrics are about being drunk, finding religion and dealing with loneliness. Other songs like "Paranoid" and "Beat Me Up" are fast and loud, recalling the '90s West Coast punk sound that brought listeners to Wavves in the first place.
Unfortunately, Afraid of Heights pales in comparison to Wavves's last album, King of the Beach, with a couple of tracks devoid of anything remarkable. The third track, "Mystic," sounds like a failed Sonic Youth impression, and "Dog," which features the return of that weird reverb triangle, is just disappointing.
"Lunge Forward," a fun, punk-style anthem, is one of the better songs on the album, but it sounds like it could have easily been on Green Day's 1994 album, Dookie. The band's vocalist and guitarist, Nathan Williams, even sounds like Green Day lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong.
For new listeners of Wavves, Afraid of Heights is a good place to start, but 2010's King of the Beach is a more concentrated and secure album. You can tell Wavves is looking for a new direction, but the band should focus on what they're good at: simple, rocking, beachside surf punk about super soakers, sunburns, girls and surfing.
Afraid of Heights struggles when it gets experimental, but passes as enjoyable with a number of fast, angsty punk rock tunes that bring a blast-from-the-past, '90s punk nostalgia.
Wavves is just kicking off a U.S. tour, but Buffalo fans should have their passports ready. The band is skipping over Rochester and the Queen City and will be stopping in Toronto, Canada at the Horseshoe Tavern April 5.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
